The last couple…months
Man, I need to get more regular on here that is for sure! It’s certainly not for lack of wanting to write, just a shortness of time and the reality that each day currently is slipping by in the blink of an eye. I am also well aware that the every man makes excuses for no time, usually unfairly. No time to stay fit, tend to the day to day, learn new things, be a better dad/husband, insert any ‘desire’ you like here…most of the time there is time, just time wasted. However, in my current circumstance, let me explain.
So, for those not in the know, since the 7th of January, 2026, I have been at the Queensland Fire Department Academy, training to become a fire fighter. It has been intense. I did not expect it to be as intense…and I did have some comparison given I went through the QLD Police Academy about 19yrs ago. Clearly I expected it to be very difficult, challenging, testing and for it to take me places I haven’t been before. And, I thought I was ready. I got back in the gym a year prior to starting to prep, I am the fittest cardiovascular I have ever been and mentally I believed I was ready. But it has been wild, beyond my vision of what lay before me.
On the time front mentioned, we leave our accommodation about 6:15am. Before this I have still been running but not quite to the level I was prior to the academy. A season requires deliberate effort in each area of life. I have still been managing over 100k a week (up until this week and next with Live Fire being the most demanding part of the course) but keeping my volume running reasonable. We are then at the academy all day doing a variety of thing, often in turnout gear which in and of its self is heavy, cumbersome and hard work. We train all day, get back to our accommodation about 5-5:30, I am lifting three days a week and have been going home most weekends to see the girls and check in on the shop (as well as the nine hours of driving to make this happen!). When back at our room each afternoon, I am doing the usual…prep for the next day, study, washing/ironing, dinner (thank you to Tegs for preparing meals for me!) and trying to get adequate sleep.
So, you can see from the above, time REALLY is a premium, not just a thrown away phrase that I ‘dont have time’. Doing my best to make all things work, juggle home life (we also sold our house and moved a couple of weeks ago to throw another spanner in the works), family, fitness, and the primary goal of graduating the Fire Academy on the 1st of May has been a lot. BUT, ‘a lot’ I wouldn’t change.
I have always been very good at time management. I have been tested here though. The macro moves very quickly but the micro slowly. It has been very hard being away from family and home but I have had not a lot of time to stop and think about it given how full our days are. That time thing again.
I fell blessed and a great deal of gratitude to my wife, kids, employees and everyone who has enabled this to happen. It seems incredibly selfish at times being here and my sole focus being completing the course and becoming the best fire fighter I can be. Yes, this includes outside training, rest when I can and focus on the goal of getting on shift and serving my community. Sometimes selfishness with a goal is justified and I (and my family believes) this cause is something worth being selfish about. Short term sacrifice for long term gain.
Physically, I am hanging on. Just. I have faced many ailments thus far (injured rib cartridge (maybe?) twice, multiple burns, a very swollen and painful lower leg for no good reason, a cold etc) but I am pushing forward, managing the best I can and giving my all in each evolution we are required to perform. Beyond the expansive physical components of this course where at times I have been pushed to second by second movements, the mental element has been surprising.
When we do something for an extended period of time (owning our business, ultra running etc) we become comfortable and confident in who we are and what we do. I am NOT comfortable and confident in what I have been doing here and self doubt and imposter syndrome has been I think the largest hurdle to cross. I have had a multitude of inner conversations and dialogue, many times daily, feeling so out of my depth, inadequate, insecure and weak. BUT, I have fought these thoughts, doing everything in my power to overcome them and do the best I can do every step of the way. I has been very challenging but day by day I am step closer to my dream.
The last three months (five weeks to go!) has been a life memory and eternally changing blip in time in my (and my families) life. I was chosen over 100 other applicants for my position in my course (stats currently I believe are 1600 applicants for the 16 spots each class) and I cherish it and take none of it for granted. Becoming a fire fighter is a life long process but the recruit course is something else. It is only a fraction of what I thought and everything I hoped. I know I will leave this place (IF I graduate) a better, stronger, more resilient, confident and courageous man. This excites me. I want no stone unturned in this life of mine. This is another one of those stones which will get flipped over every which way until the day I decide to retire. I can not wait to see what it may reveal.
Lastly, the five core values of the Fire Department are the reason I wanted so much to be a part of this family. They are EVERYTHING I have tried and will continue to try to emulate in my life both professionally and privately. Respect, Courage, Loyalty, Trust, and Integrity. It we can all aim to keep these values at the forefront of our daily lives, not only will we become better humans but the world in turn will become a better place.
I hope and pray this finds you all well! I love you all and hope to touch base soon again. Consistency+Commitment.
As a last point, I want to publicly thank my sponsors who have stuck by me during this time when I have been all but MIA. Altra, Rudy Project, Fractel, Willpower, Victus and Shokz…thank you for sticking by me…it means more than you will ever know! I will be back on the radar in a month or so and my brain is 100% cooking up some good ideas for the future that is for sure!